Review says bets were taken on Modern Games after scratch

Del Mar, Calif. 

It turns out that bets were still being taken on eventual winner Modern Games even after he was first announced as scratched from what became a calamity of errors Friday in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

A joint, follow-up statement Saturday from the California Horse Racing Board, Del Mar and the Breeders’ Cup said there was “a miscommunication between the stewards and the Del Mar mutuels department” that led to Modern Games being “reinserted into the pari-mutuel wagering pools” at 5:37:01 p.m. PDT.

The statement went on to say that nearly seven minutes later, at 5:43:49 p.m., “after it was made clear to the mutuels department that Modern Games was competing for purse money only, the horse was again removed from the wagering pools.” It did not say who finally insisted to whom that the horse was truly removed from the betting options.

This would explain why mutuel pools on the main, infield toteboard were still showing new money for Modern Games, whose victory was booed by fans at Del Mar. Many of them had made the Dubawi colt a 9-5 favorite before his number was finally taken down before the race, which began at 5:47:34 p.m., more than 17 minutes after the scheduled post time.

RELATED: Modern Games wins after being scratched.

The statement went on to say that as a result of reviews Friday night and Saturday morning, “the CHRB, Del Mar and Breeders’ Cup are modifying their injury management communications protocols, so that (Del Mar track veterinarian Dr. Dana) Stead will make the final determination with respect to recommended scratches at the starting gate and has the sole authority to communicate those recommendations to the stewards.”

In an impromptu media briefing in the Del Mar press box 90 minutes after Friday’s race, CHRB executive director Scott Chaney said that Dr. Chuck Jenkins, part of the team of veterinarians working the Breeders’ Cup, made the call to scratch Modern Games after he thought the horse might have hurt himself in the gate incident. Chaney admitted that Jenkins had acted prematurely without first checking the horse to see if he was OK.

In fact, Stead eventually determined Modern Games was just fine, so the horse was reinstated to race only for purse money, namely the $520,000 that Godolphin earned with the victory.

Albahr, a stablemate of Modern Games, was the catalyst for the trouble at the gate when he reared in post 2, wrenched two of his feet over the front of his stall and threw jockey Frankie Dettori before falling beneath the gate. He was immediately scratched because he had been compromised.

Chaney first said Friday night that based on what the attending veterinarians had said, Modern Games in stall 1 started the chain reaction by rearing and hitting the back of his stall. Since his jockey William Buick said, “My horse was never touched,” there are growing questions about whether that ever happened.